There is little love lost between the Boston College and Connecticut athletic programs.

When Boston College left the Big East for the ACC in 2005, then Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun made it known he would refuse to play the Eagles as long as he was running the show in Storrs, saying: “We won’t play BC after they leave here. I have no desire to play Boston College. Not for the fact that they are leaving but how they did it. I will not play Boston College as long as I’m here.”

Then, last year when the landscaping of college athletics was changing with seemingly a new school every week leaving one conference for another, Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilipo was very clear making it known he didn’t want Connecticut in the expanded ACC: “We didn’t want them in. It was a matter of turf. We wanted to be the New England team.”

Two of the most high-profile athletic programs in New England, it would be nice to see this rivalry rekindled. Maybe the tournament organizers at the 2K Sports Classic thought along these same lines as the schools have been paired with each other in the 2K Sports Classic with the game being played on November 22nd at Madison Square Garden.

The schools haven’t played on the hardwood since January of 2005, a 75-70 win by Boston College.

The Huskies and Eagles have not played since the latter departed for the ACC, but the animosity between the two schools appears to have lessened with new athletic directors in charge at both places. Indications are that UConn and BC are likely to resume their rivalry in basketball and football on a more regular basis, though a source said it may be more difficult to resume things quickly in football because of the long-range nature of football scheduling.